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Eyes in the Deep
Eyes in the Deep “Aye, Pay attention Deck hand” Heth winced as the Portsmen Clipped him round the back of the head with one hand, rubbing at his head as he looked back around from where he had been leaning on the upper decks railings. “I am Caleb” Heth glared at the slightly portly Portsmen, a wicked scar bisecting the corner of his face, somebody sniggered from off to his left and turning his head saw Kezia leaning up against a side hatch, her bandana flapping behind her as the breeze from the tunnel caught hold of the material. “Doesn’t look like it deck hand, day dreaming again like some surface mucker” Caleb scowled at him as the barge tilted slightly as it made its way through the labyrinth of tunnels that was home to the raven Privateers myriad of vessels and Ports. “Just because you’ve got no room for an imagination in that lump of flesh for a head don’t mean the youngster don’t” Kezia smirked at Caleb, a glint of mischief flashing behind her eyes as Caleb muttered something under his breath. “What?” Kezia glared at Caleb her hand resting on the hilt of her sabre, Caleb stood for a moment glaring back before breaking off and scratching the mass of scar tissue on the side of his face. “Nothing, forget it” Caleb turned around and walked off down the upper deck, snarling at a couple of crewmen stood further down the deck who simply responded with a single digit salute. “Bloody Riggers” Kezia stretched her arms behind her head as she walked over to Heth who had his back lent up against the railing, “All Brawn no brains” she winked at the youngster as she lent on the railings besides him. “They’re not all like him like him?” Heth nodded at the departing Caleb “Nah, Calebs just got tunnel scat where his brains should be” The Cocky Raider grinned at him, “Thinks he the boss of everyone when the bosun or Cap’ns not about because he’s been on the scow so damn long” Kezia cocked her head to one side looking at Heth. He simply nodded “Right, I’ll keep that in mind” Heth rolled one of his shoulders adjusting his long coat’s sit before fiddling with the strapping for the ballistics vest he wore beneath it. Kezia chuckled at the newbies fidgeting before helping him out, “Don’t bother with having your holster done up all the time, you gonna want to be able to draw it quick when you need it” She tucked the holster top back behind the holster itself leaving Heth’s revolver accessible but still secured to his chest. “Thanks” The young raider smiled meekly at her, “Still not fully used to all this yet” Kezia grinned “yeah I can tell, which port you call home?” “Kilo” Heth looked up at her from his perch “You?” “Drogba’s House” She winked “Ah” Heth nodded as if something had just clicked for him, “What?” Kezia raised an eyebrow “Explains why you always look so damn calm with that sabre” Heth smiled weakly, unsure in of himself about the comment. Kezia smirked and chuckled “Yeah, guess that does help abit”. She leant back, her head resting over the edge of the side of the ship as it passed through the eerie darkness of the tunnels below the ruins, “Never really been far without it I suppose” She patted it, adjusting the sash she wore around her waist for a moment. “Drogba’s not a place you grow up without knowing the sharp end for what it can do” Heth Nodded “Kilo’s all work docks and repair bays, you can’t got a single step without knocking into some reapir project or another” Heth shook his head “Whole reason I joined up with the first ship I could find looking for crew, needed out of there” Kezia grinned “Tunnel Wonder am I right?” Heth nodded, smiling genuinely this time “Yeah, always that darkness calling out to me like something I had to face” He looked out from the side of the ship “Know what you mean” Kezia nodded in agreement . “And now with the surface squadron making its run, felt like the right time you now?” Heth looked over at Kezia “Yeah, Diamond Dog, Amethyst Rose And the Yin Yang, Lucky beggars getting free rain up their, wish I could join them” Heth Nodded “Hey maybe we get enough money together, a crew and a ship one go join them one day?” He grinned at her as she chuckled in amusement. They both smirked, before being interrupted by a shout from the fore deck “Corsairs!” They both stared down the side of the ship as a rough blackened hull leered out of a side cavern, weapons already turning in their direction, Boarders brandishing sabres and side arms at the sight of them. “Surface will have to wait” Kezia Drew her own Sabre as Heth drew and cocked his revolver “First we deal with these scum”... Army & Territory Situation The first few days of the Black coats campaign into the surface ruins passes with a cacophony of chaos and order only a member of the privateers could truly appreciate. Patrol Flotillas and catacomb watch ships are recalled to their home ports, bands of portsmen, Raiders and Riggers piling onto available transport barges alongside their comrades; Flags of shredded material died black and painted with the crossed swords of the armada flapping in the tunnel winds as the ships come together in a force unseen by living eyes. A great energy seems to fill every privateer with a sense of adventure and the call of a story worthy of legend on the surface fills the songs and taverns throughout the ports across the whole of privateer territory, as the Black coats sail to the surface to face the darkness with cutlass and shot to hand, a song on their lips and a fire in their hearts as the squadrons come together to form flotillas around the ports and then fleets around Home port, before finally pushing on to the surface ruins as the Armada of the Raven Privateers, a single unified force of ships made of every type from the smallest Hammerhead Sloop filled with young hearts to the greatest Brute Barges packed with roaring raiders hanging from every surface, blades in hand. At the head the Heavily armoured Diamond Dog of the new rear Admiral leads the way for the armada as it ascends to the surface; the rear admiral himself hanging from the front cabling, a cry to his crew to follow him to the ruins above as the ships pass the outer markers and take up station around the final mouth to the tunnels that make up the privateers home territory. Skeleton crews are left to man the ships as they take up position in battle lines as the parties of warbands make for the shore of the ruins, advance teams of raiders from the lead ships grouping up various forces from the armada’s flotillas and marshalling together to wait on the Rear Admirals orders. West comes the order, West to secure our borders, west to new lands and stories worthy of the old times, Cutlasses raised in great cries as banners of each individual ship flap around the Black coats, their name sakes marking out everyone as a comrade to the other as they push on into the ruins. The Following two months passes quietly for the armada as its warbands press on and outwards through the ruins, small ‘waylays’ as the privateers call hem left behind them as a form of communications back to the home lands and the admiralty. Scouts from the force report little in the way of contacts as they press ahead of the mass of privateers, the younger crews given permission to press ahead in a great sea of eager blades and eager hearts, whilst the older crews hang back forming a centre core for the armada, its members more cautious and experienced of what the darkness can hide but none the less finding the youngers boundless energy infectious as some take to competitions between each other as they press on. Scavenger teams follow closely behind the black coats, ready to transport back anything uncovered by the armada that they can’t carry with them, at the head the flag of the Yin-yang, one of the surface squadron that sailed the dangers of the Dome. A signal goes out across the black-coat surface fleet, a signal comes back all most at once. A greeting and a salute from the Diamond dog to its fellow squadron member and to the Fleet Steward herself, treading the ruins for scavenge. Support ship captains hoist their own colours in greeting and are met with a friendly smile. The lead scouts make daily discoveries as the black coats press onwards into this new territory, holdings of long abandoned hospitals and clinics are found, large complexes filled with medical equipment and store houses that with work could make for good settlement locations should the admiralty approve, some captains request permission for shore leave to pillage the stores but are denied by the Rear admiral as they are ushered to push on to secure the territory for the Privateers before someone else of something else makes its home here. By the end of the first week of the third month the scouts have reached the other side of the territory and return reporting no more, a closer inspection of the Black coats first successful , if uneventful, foray onto the surface reveals the lands to be that of a large medical basis, a focus point for hospitals and clinics. The younger crews grumble about the lack of a fight bare a few bands of bandits who dared stand in the armada’s way, whilst the older crews grin at a job well done without any major loss, a message is sent back to the admiralty, a flag hoisted for all to see amongst the black coats and their following scavengers squadrons, the Flag of the admiralty is raised above the highest accessible point by the bosun of a brute barge called the Fatcat’s Freeloader and is met with a roar of approval from amongst the black coats. Though small this new land is claimed by the raven privateers for all privateers and their ships and crews, the first surface port laid claim to in generations and the bounty of medical supplies coming with it a great reward to help the privateers continue on into the annuals of legend. Camps are raised and a perimeters set alongside impromptu taverns and drinking dens as the Black Coats settle in, the crews celebrating and singing until their throats go horse and their barrels empty. The Admiralty sends its congratulations to the armada, announcing a dual for the right to name the town to be held amongst the admiralty for all to come and see, the surface squadrons being granted the choice of whom to place their swords in support as tradition decrees. Though Picket ships from the edge of the catacombs within the home lands seem be reacting to something from the deeps... Summary: So The Medical territory to the west of Raven privateer home lands has been successfully claimed with out any real incident, the army has taken a few losses but nothing that effects it as the injured return to duty within a few days. The Raven privateers now have a decision of who to support in the admiralty dual for naming the new settlement in the territory, so watch out for when the admiralty runner arrives. Back to Whispers & Echos